Case Nos. 14-1167(L), 14-1169, 14-1173 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
TIMOTHY B. BOSTIC
, et al.,
Plaintiffs-Appellees
, and
CHRISTY BERGHOFF, JOANNE HARRIS, JESSICA DUFF, AND VICTORIA KIDD,
on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated,
Intervenors
,
v.
GEORGE E. SCHAEFER, III
, in his official capacity as the Clerk of Court for Norfolk Circuit Court,
Defendant-Appellant
,
and
JANET M. RAINEY
, in her official capacity as State Registrar of Vital Records,
Defendant-Appellant
, and
MICHÈLE B. MCQUIGG
, in her official capacity as Prince William County Clerk of Circuit Court,
Intervenor/Defendant-Appellant
. On appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division, Case No. 2:13-cv-00395-AWA-LRL The Honorable Arenda L. Wright Allen
MOTION OF APPELLANT MCQUIGG FOR STAY OF MANDATE PENDING FILING OF PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI
Byron J. Babione Kenneth J. Connelly J. Caleb Dalton A
LLIANCE
D
EFENDING
F
REEDOM
15100 N. 90th Street Scottsdale, AZ 85260 (480) 444-0020 (t); (480) 444-0028 (f) bbabione@alliancedefendingfreedom.org David Austin R. Nimocks A
LLIANCE
D
EFENDING
F
REEDOM
801 G Street N.W., Suite 509 Washington, D.C. 20001 (202) 393-8690 (t); (480) 444-0028 (f) animocks@alliancedefendingfreedom.org
Attorneys for Michèle B. McQuigg
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1 Pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 41(d)(2) and Fourth Circuit Rule 41, Appellant Michèle B. McQuigg, in her official capacity as Prince William County Clerk of Circuit Court, (Clerk McQuigg) respectfully moves for a stay of the issuance of the mandate in the above-captioned case pending application to the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari. This Court entered judgment on July 28, 2014. The mandate is thus scheduled to issue on August 18, 2014.
See
Fed. R. App. P. 41(b). Clerk McQuigg intends to file a petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court within the ninety days permitted.
See
Sup. Ct. R. 13(1). Clerk McQuigg requests a stay that does not exceed the date on which her petition for a writ of certiorari must be filed (October 26, 2014), with a continuance of the stay to follow official notification that the petition has been filed in accord with Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 41(d)(2)(B). As set forth below, this motion should be granted because the petition for a writ of certiorari will “present a substantial question and . . . there is good cause for a stay.” Fed. R. App. P. 41(d)(2)A); Local Rule 41. Counsel for all parties have been notified of this motion pursuant to Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 27(a). On behalf of Appellant Janet M. Rainey, the Solicitor General of Virginia has advised that, in light of the forthcoming appeal, Rainey consents to a stay of the mandate pending petition for certiorari, agrees that a stay of the mandate is appropriate pending action by the Supreme Court, and
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2 anticipates filing a response in further support of that request. Appellant George E. Schaefer consents to the relief requested. Appellees
Harris
Intervenors do not consent to the relief requested and intend to file an opposition. Counsel for Plaintiffs-Appellees did not respond with their position on this motion.
INTRODUCTION
This case challenges the constitutionality of Virginia’s laws defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. In a similar case involving Utah’s marriage laws, the Supreme Court stayed the lower court’s ruling and thereby affirmatively signaled to the lower courts that they should stay enforcement of judgments in similar cases pending the exhaustion of appeals.
See
Herbert v. Kitchen
, 134 S. Ct. 893 (2014) (ordering that the “[p]ermanent injunction issued by the [district court]” is “stayed pending final disposition of the appeal”);
see also
Herbert v. Evans
, No. 14A65, 2014 WL 3557112 (U.S. July 18, 2014) (staying recognition of marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples pending appeal). The Tenth Circuit has already interpreted the Supreme Court’s stay in
Herbert v. Kitchen
as requiring circuit courts to stay their mandates pending the filing of a petition for a writ of certiorari. Recently, when issuing its decision in the Utah marriage case, the Tenth Circuit stated that “[i]n consideration of the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the district court’s injunction pending the appeal to our circuit, we conclude it is appropriate to STAY our mandate pending the
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